GRAND RAPIDS, MI — Stirring ingredients in a mixing bowl and wearing an apron with the words ‘Papa Vedo,’ former warehouse manager Art Azevedo of Grand Rapids said he’s much happier now making and selling his family recipe salsa.

But starting a retail food sales business is no mean feat.

“There comes a point when you find out that you need a license for this, have to pay fees for that, get tax ID numbers, etc,” said Azevdeo. “All the legalities come into question.”

Art found a solution to those legal headaches in Eastown. Uptown Kitchen quietly opened this month for food entrepreneurs like Azevedo who need a licensed commercial space in which to develop their recipes.

The incubator kitchen is the first brick-and-mortar child of 5x5 Night, where owner and recent Calvin College graduate Kelly LeCoy won a $5,000 grant last May to get her idea for Uptown Kitchen off paper and into active development.

It took nearly a year, but LeCoy’s dream has been realized. A grand opening celebration and ribbon-cutting for the new venture takes place on Friday.

“I don’t know in school if I ever thought I would do this so soon,” said LeCoy, who has spent the past year in talks with investors, and local and state regulators getting the business ready.

“Through 5x5 night it kind of became reality.”

The initial $5,000 went toward beginning stage planning and schematics, said LeCoy, who declined to share the total cost involved in opening the space. She said finding investors was easier with the stamp of legitimacy given by 5x5 Night.

The roughly 2,500-square-foot facility is located at 423 Norwood Ave. SE, across from the CVS Pharmacy in Eastown. It’s open 24-hours for clients who rent hourly or by contract for use of the kitchen space for prep, catering, pastry or cool and dry storage.

Uptown Kitchen also features an event space that can seat 49 people for family get-togethers, networking events, rehearsal dinners, cooking classes or pop-up restaurants — any social occasion that involves food. LeCoy plans on collaborating with another 5x5 Night winner, Molly Clauhs, who is developing cooking classes as part of her Skill Share GR artisan class lineup.

“When you think about the economy, it’s a lot more challenging to get capital for startup,” said Amy Wondolowski, owner of Metro Cupcakes, whose gourmet cupcakes are currently available through Art of the Table on Wealthy Street SE.

“This is a good way to get my product out to the customer without incurring the overhead costs of starting a brick and mortar store.”

The collaborative environment is good for bouncing ideas off others in the kitchen, she said.

“It kind of reminds me of going to college and living in the dorms,” said Andrea Pierret, who owns Gourmet Valet, specializing in ready-to-bake entrees and personal chef meals.

Azevedo, Wondolowski and Pierret are among the handful of clients LeCoy has started out with already. Among food circles, the advance buzz on Uptown Kitchen has been building steadily for the past year.

Now that it’s open, LeCoy would like to explore an alliance with other similar businesses in West and Northern Michigan, like KITCHEN Sinc in downtown Grand Rapids, Can-Do Kitchen in Kalamazoo and the Starting Block in Hart.

“We may be competition to an extent, but I think it's more to our advantage to be aligned somehow,” she said. “We want to be able to renew the food culture in Grand Rapids and serve the community in more ways than just as a commercial kitchen.”

The Uptown Kitchen grand opening ribbon-cutting will take place Friday from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. The actual ribbon cutting takes place at 4 p.m. An open house will follow on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The general public is welcome.